Friday, April 22, 2016

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible Coupe

"The accent's on action . . . in Oldsmobile's thrilling Super 88 Series! And this Convertible invites you to steer a course to magic moments of wide-open adventure. The top lowers neatly — out of sight — to reveal rich leather interiors in your choice of four stunning color combinations. And poised beneath the hood there's all the surging might of the new Rocket T-400 Engine! Road-hugging lines and new Wide-Stance Chassis tell you this Olds is solidly grounded for skimming the highway safely and securely."

A genuine 1957 Oldsmobile convertible is a car that you rarely see on Cuban roads. Quite unsurprisingly so, as Oldsmobile produced merely 7,128 "Super 88" convertibles in its "Golden Anniversary" year. Unlike the sister models from Buick or Pontiac, Oldsmobiles were considered looking pretty tame. And by 1950s standards, an understated look wasn't exactly what convertible buyers longed for.

But make no mistake: the company which had kicked off the race for ever more horsepower with the introduction of the "Rocket" V-8 engine in 1949, still knew how to build one the most potent cars on American roads. For 1957, the 371 cubic-inch (6 l) "Rocket T-400" standard engine had 277hp, while a 83 Dollar surcharge bought you the 300hp "J2" performance option with triple 2-barrel Rochester carburetors. Quick it was. Only the styling didn't betray the beast under the bonnet.

The GM designers choose quite a subtle way of distinguishing the different trim levels in the Oldsmobile lineup: if the colored strip within the chrome trim followed the sweep from the windshield frame down to the rear fender, it was a "Super 88". If that strip went down in a straight line, starting just behind the door handle, it was the base model "Golden Rocket 88". Less attentive observers would always notice a "Super 88" script at the front fenders, but our featured car has lost its badge a long time ago.

Notwithstanding its understated styling, the Olds convertible did look pretty handsome on the road. Until a "Forward Look"Mopar car pulled alongside, that was: side by side, the Olds suddenly appeared fairly fatty and dated while the Chrysler product captured the zeitgeist in a much more convincing way. Ironically, Harley Earl had incessantly called for building the longest and lowest looking cars in the industry over the past decades, but now the GM designers found themselves beaten on their "home turf".

Oh, in case you were wondering: those bucket seats didn't come standard.